Proposal to make honey from mangroves wins student business competition

A project proposing to make honey from mangroves for the Wayuu indigenous tribe in Colombia was judged the winner at the 2011 Global Enterprise Experience ANZ Champion Team Awards.

This annual student business competition brought together 512 students from 39 countries, with Victoria University students acting as leaders of international teams. The Victoria students are trained in leadership skills and global perspective as part of a third-year international business course through Victoria's Faculty of Commerce and Administration, focussing on experiencing management across cultures.

Victoria University students led all of the 64 global teams in a three-week effort, which involved meeting online, choosing a project, then researching, designing and writing a business proposal.

This year students were asked to develop a proposal for a profitable product or service to foster indigenous development.

The winning business concept—Wayuu Mangrove Beekeeping—proposed to reforest the mangrove swamps, which provide a habitat for bees; and would in turn enhance the natural environment. The honey would be aimed at the European organic food market. Colombia has over 100 indigenous communities, many like the Wayuu being affected by diminishing access to land and resources in the area.

Members of the winning team were: Claudia Ducrot (New Zealand), Lee Chong De (Malaysia), Omisakin Yinka Waliyat (Nigeria), Zeeshan Arshad (Pakistan), and three Colombians—María Paulina López Morales, Rosario Tatis-Marin, and Maria Fernanda Gallego Maya.

Labour MP and the chief judge, Dr Rajen Prasad, congratulated the winning team of students at a prizegiving ceremony supported by Oracle New Zealand, held in the Grand Hall at Parliament last night.

Gavin Shing, contest judge and ANZ Regional Manager, Commercial & Agri said he was "impressed to see New Zealand leading a global business challenge with such a wide array of countries participating".

Another of the judges Suzanne Hall, Managing Director of online self motivation company BE Intent and a former New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year, expressed admiration for the Victoria team leaders.

"They had to do the 2am slot to build a team spirit of members in widely dispersed time zones, and inspire creativity and hard work via the internet to meet a tight deadline—that takes real leadership and motivation."

Other award winners were:
• BE Intent Global Leader Award – Jessica Ch'ng from Wellington
• UNESCO Commitment Award – this award acknowledges the extraordinary lengths some of the participants went to in contributing to their global team; the winner was unable to be named to protect his identity (he was one of the 27 Iranian Baha'i who are banned from attending public universities in their country because of their faith, risking imprisonment if found studying or communicating with foreigners)
• Victoria University Champion Journal Award – Olaoye Oyinkansola Kofoworola from Nigeria (who saw the potential to process plantain to reduce poverty of the Igun indigenous people of Nigeria).